Stuck in Freeze? The Thyroid Piece Nobody Checked

Stuck in Freeze? The Thyroid Piece Nobody Checked

What drives someone to seek a life without feeling exhausted, foggy and stuck on the sofa, even after "doing the work" on their trauma? This conversation between medical physician and trauma expert Dr. Aimie Apigian and "thyroid fixer" Dr. Amy Horniman zooms in on a piece many people never get checked: the thyroid, and especially reverse T3.

Aimed at people who wake up thinking, "Oh God, not another day," yet keep being told their labs are "normal", this episode connects stress, trauma and thyroid function in a very down-to-earth way. You’ll hear Dr.

Horniman bluntly call out the "BS" of conventional testing: "Why is it that conventional medicine is only testing a brain hormone to get a picture of how well our thyroid is functioning?" She explains why TSH alone misses the mark and why she ranks reverse T3 as "number one" among thyroid markers.

Together, they break down T4, T3 and reverse T3 using simple analogies – like reverse T3 acting as "the bouncer at the club" blocking active T3 from entering the cell. That “bouncer” effect is linked to the hibernation-like state Dr. Apigian calls chronic functional freeze: low energy, low mood, low resilience, but still functioning on sheer willpower, caffeine and sugar. Perimenopause, menopause and andropause also get a spotlight, with Dr.

Horniman coining the term "thyropause" to describe how midlife hormone shifts can flip the switch on Hashimoto’s and drag stress resilience even lower. The episode keeps circling back to one message: if you’re stuck in freeze, testing a full thyroid panel – including reverse T3 – might finally explain why mindset tools alone haven’t shifted things. If you’re sober, healing, and still exhausted, could your biology be quietly holding you back?